But in practice, it can quickly become a source of friction.

Flaky tests.
Unstable environments.
Bad test data.
False positives.
Shiny new tools that become legacy in under a year.

And then there’s mocking.

We use mocks to isolate systems, to speed up feedback loops.
But too many mocks, poorly managed, and suddenly you’re testing an illusion.
Pipelines are green, but production is red.

Mocks can create a false sense of confidence. Just like… trends.

Every year, a new testing framework becomes the “next big thing.”
We jump on the hype train, rebuild, re-learn, re-integrate—sometimes without asking:
Does this tool really solve our problem, or are we just following the trend?

The market moves fast. But should our strategies follow the same pace?

All of this raises a bigger question:
Are we building automation that lasts—or just automation that feels modern?

So let me throw this out to the community:
How do you balance mocks vs. real integrations?
How do you deal with flaky tests, unreliable data, and fast-changing tools?

Let’s compare notes and grow from real experiences—not just marketing promises.